Chapter 14: Sociological Theories (Social Structural Theories) Pt. 2

Question 1

What is the primary focus of Walter Miller’s “Focal Concerns” theory?

Answer 1

lower class boys

Question 2

According to Walter Miller’s “Focal Concerns” lower class boys are more prone to crime than middle class boys. Why is this?

Answer 2

because they place moreimportance onparticular values that areassociated with crime

Question 3

What are the “focal concerns” or values of lower class boys according to “Focal Concerns” theory?

Answer 3

(1) toughness
(2) trouble
(3) smartness
(4) excitement
(5) fate
(6) autonomy

Question 4

Which “focal concern” is this: having physical strength,

Answer 4

toughness

Question 5

Which “focal concern” is this: a willingness to fight

Answer 5

toughness

Question 6

Which “focal concern” is this: being soft or sentimental is devalued

Answer 6

toughness

Question 7

Which “focal concern” is this: high value is placed on getting in and staying out of sticky situations

Answer 7

trouble

Question 8

Which “focal concern” is this: being streetwise and able to outfox or outcome someone else

Answer 8

smartness

Question 9

Which “focal concern” is this: a belief that life is guided by things outside of your control

Answer 9

fate

Question 10

Which “focal concern” is this: the search for fun to liven up an otherwise boring life

Answer 10

excitement

Question 11

Which “focal concern” is this: so theseteenagers and young adults take more chances to get lucky or“hit the jackpot”

Answer 11

fate

Question 12

Which “focal concern” is this: high value is placed on personal freedom

Answer 12

autonomy

Question 13

Which “focal concern” is this: being“your own man” and not being under the control

Answer 13

autonomy

Question 14

What is the problem with Walter Miller’s “Focal Concerns”?

Answer 14

regardless of class and gender many teens exhibit these characteristics

Question 15

What is a “subculture of violence”?

Answer 15

interpersonal violence is an expression ofsubcultural norms and values

Question 16

The “__________ ___ _______” was extended to account for the high rates of violence in southern U.S. states.

Answer 16

subculture of violence

Question 17

The “subculture of violence” was extended to account for the high rates of ________ in _________ U.S. states.

Answer 17

violence

southern

Question 18

True or False: In somecultures, violence is an expected, tolerated, and even demandmeans of settling disputes.

Answer 18

True

Question 19

In somecultures, violence is an expected, tolerated, and even demandmeans of settling disputes. How does this type of mindset develop?

Answer 19

this is learned at the how by how parents discipline their kids and how they are childhood play isresponded to

Question 20

Who created “subculture of violence” and when?

Answer 20

initially developed by Marvin Wolfgang and Franco Ferracutti in the late 1960’s

Question 21

What is the “code of the street”?

Answer 21

an unwritten and informal set of rules that have emerged ininner-city communities as a response to various socialproblems

Question 22

Who created the term “code of the street”?

Answer 22

Elijah Anderson in the late 90’s

Question 23

How is the “code of the street” developed?

Answer 23

violence is learned and reinforced in particular geographicalareas and within particularcultural traditions

Question 24

Inner-city kids learn to“_____ ______” and act like“decent folks”.

Answer 24

“code switch”

Question 25

Inner-city kids learn to “code switch” and act like “_______ _____”.

Answer 25

"decent folks"

Question 26

Violence is both ________ and ___________ by the normative rules of engagement and disengagement that underlie this “code of the street”.

Answer 26

enabled | constrained

Question 27

Violence is both enabled and constrained by the _________ ______ of engagement and disengagement that underlie this “code of the street”.

Answer 27

normative rules

Question 28

Violence is both enabled and constrained by the normative rules of ____________ and ____________ that underlie this “code of the street”.

Answer 28

engagement | disengagement

Question 29

What type of street verbalizations reflect the “code of the street”?

Answer 29

- “watch your back” - "protect yourself” - “don’t punk out” - “respect yourself” - “if someone disses you, you gotta straighten them out”

Question 30

Why is violence relatively common in inner-city areas?

Answer 30

they are staging areas for demonstrating, maintaining, and/or enhancing one’s reputation as someone who can handle themselves and shouldn’t be messed with

Question 31

Who created the Anomie/Strain theory?

Answer 31

Robert Merton

Question 32

What is Merton’s Anomie/Strain Theory?

Answer 32

attributes high crime rates directly to the social structure and culture of this society

Question 33

Why does society have strain?

Answer 33

(1) American society places enormous cultural value on the achievement of material success, but the legitimate social structural or institutional means of achieving this goal are limited (2) We have a strain between cultural goals and structural means of achieving them (especially in the lower class)

Question 34

What is “anomie”?

Answer 34

contradiction between the cultural message and the social structure of society

Question 35

Who experiences “anomie”?

Answer 35

may be experienced by any social group

Question 36

What are the various modes of adaption to this anomic friction between the cultural goals and the institutionalized means of achieving them?

Answer 36

(1) conformity (2) innovation (3) ritualism (4) retreatism (5) rebellion

Question 37

Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this: | the acceptance of both the goals and means

Answer 37

conformity

Question 38

Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this: | the acceptance of the goals of success but rejection of the legitimate means of achieving it 

Answer 38

innovation

Question 39

Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this: | the rejection of both goals and means

Answer 39

ritualism

Question 40

Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this: | the rejection of both goals and means

Answer 40

retreatism

Question 41

Which mode of adaption to anomic friction is this: | replacing the goals and means with new ones

Answer 41

rebellion

Question 42

What is Cloward and Ohlin’s Differential Opportunity Theory?

Answer 42

differential opportunity for both legitimate and illegitimate pathways to living the American Dream

Question 43

______ often provide illegitimate opportunities.

Answer 43

Gangs

Question 44

What are the different type of gangs?

Answer 44

(1) criminal gangs (2) conflict gangs (3) retreatist gangs

Question 45

What are the characteristics of criminal gangs?

Answer 45

- provide its recruits some monetary gain through organized criminal activities  - gang members have a particular skill that provides a limited opportunity for them to achieve some material success

Question 46

What are the characteristics of conflict gangs?

Answer 46

- provide only a very small number of juveniles and young adults access to material success by being the “tough guy” or “enforcer” - only a small number of enforcers are needed for any criminal organization

Question 47

True or False: the illegal opportunities for success through conflict gangs are extremely limited

Answer 47

True

Question 48

What are the characteristics of retreatist gangs?

Answer 48

-involve juvenile and young adults who are called “double losers” - criminal organizations provide no illegitimate opportunities for them and they are blocked from achieving success goals through legitimate avenues  - they retreat, by getting high and drunk because of this failure on both domains 

Question 49

Because this theory presumes that most people want to live American dream of economic success what does it suggest?

Answer 49

it suggests that the simpler pathway to a crime-free society is by providing greater legitimate opportunity for everyone